A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a driver while clinging to the man’s car and being dragged through a field after the man fled a late-night traffic stop, authorities said Saturday.
The man’s identity was not released as of Saturday morning, with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office saying his family had not yet been told of his death.
The driver was 38 years old and according to the sheriff’s office, he had an outstanding warrant. He’d been pulled over just after midnight Friday on Woolie Road in Lincolnton.
The deputy was at the open driver’s side door when the man drove off from the traffic stop and drove through a field, according to a sheriff’s office news statement.
The deputy, who name also was not released, shot the driver and then was thrown from the car, sheriff’s office officials said. The car kept going and hit a tree, according to the sheriff’s office.
“This is a tragic event for both the family of the suspect and officers involved in the incident,” the Sheriff Office said in the release.
The SBI is investigating the shooting, according to the sheriff’s office, and the deputy was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
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